Here are a few highlights from June 2024 at RDPL!
Green Roof Walking Tour
Cynthia Pohl, Living Lands Landscape + Design,, opens a new window led a walking tour of two green roofs she designed at Berry Architecture + Associates, opens a new window and Catholic Social Services, opens a new window. These two biodiverse green roofs within walking distance of the Downtown Library Branch are thriving examples of the way we can design for native pollinators.
Photos of Berry Architecture + Associates green roof
Adult Literacy Program Highlights
The Adult Literacy Program, opens a new window held its annual Volunteer Appreciation event on June 4. Shelley Odishaw, Library Board Chair, and Kraymer Barnstable, City of Red Deer Councillor, spoke about the importance of volunteering and the difference that the Adult Literacy Program volunteers make in the lives of their learners. 65 people attended the event where volunteers were recognized for their dedication and commitment to the program.
The Adult Literacy Program is closing the 2023-2024 grant year, and here are some highlights:
- The number of learners in the Adult Literacy program indicates a continued growth. The Program served 703 learners this year as compared to 308 learners in 2022 and 531 learners in 2023. This is a 32.4% increase from last year. The staff work hard to maintain a high profile in the community, and many agencies refer participants to this program. 414 of these learners are new arrivals from Ukraine.
- 91 new volunteers joined the program during the 2023/24 grant term. Many community members stepped in to help with the influx of learners from Ukraine. In order to reduce the wait list, some tutors started working with small groups and a few volunteers took on multiple learners. The Adult Literacy Program supported 269 volunteer tutors over the 2023-2024 grant term (16% increase from last year).
- The Adult Literacy Program is proud to report that 565 learners participated in language learning opportunities and courses in addition to one-on-one tutoring. That is a 104% increase from last year. These numbers indicate that the program staff are familiar with the learning needs in the community and plan accordingly to offer a variety of opportunities to help the learners meet those needs.
ParticipACTION Community Challenge
In June, RDPL, alongside many other community organizations, participated in the ParticipACTION Community Challenge, offering 14 programs focused on promoting active living and health literacy. These programs collectively engaged 761 participants!
While Red Deer did not earn the top prize of Canada's Most Active Community, opens a new window (congrats to Hay River, NWT, this year's winner!), we WERE crowned the most Active Community in all of Alberta for the third year in a row!
We take pride in providing free, accessible, and enjoyable opportunities for Red Deerians to stay active. The programs we featured as part of the ParticipACTION Challenge included regular library activities such as Walk & Talk at the Downtown and Collicutt Branches, the June StoryWalk programs at the Timberlands and Dawe Branches, the ongoing self-paced ParticipACTION challenge (featuring Red Deer trails with quests inspired by popular books), Fancy Women Bike Ride, and our Summer Reading Club Kick-Off Party, which alone attracted over 300 participants!
Summer Reading Club
Our Kids' Summer Reading Club Coordinators were busy promoting the Summer Reading Club to schools and daycares and training to be the best Book Bike riders just in time for the Summer Reading Club programming. The Kick off Party was a HUGE success, and many young readers were eager to begin their Summer Reading Quest, which will keep them excited about reading all summer long!
Teens and adults were also excited to start picking up their Summer Reading Bingo challenges. Details about all of our SRC Programs can be found at rdpl.org/src, opens a new window.
Youth Literacy: Celebration of Learning
The Youth Literacy Program hosted a Celebration of Learning event for its families and tutors. Over 30 attendees gathered to celebrate the learners' successes, play family games, and discover the library's summer offerings for reading and fun.
Travel Memories: Bali
Jessica Dinan shared with Travel Memories her experience living in Bali. Her husband is an accomplished photographer so many of the slides were very beautiful. She brought in some of the local art and some teak wood so we could see firsthand how talented some of the artists are. Jessica showed us how lovely Bali is, and it's sure to be a future travel destination for many.
Central Alberta Children's Festival
Children’s Festival took place in Rotary Park on May 31 and June 1. Library staff entertained families with puppet shows, rhymes, and stories. We saw over 400 participants over the two days, with one child enthusiastically exclaiming that we were the best tent there! We also had several families stop by the tent to share how important the library has been for them and their children. One mother of 5 young children shared how valuable the Children’s Storytimes as a way to connect with other families. With her spouse working in the oilfield industry, she is often alone with their children for long periods of time. The early literacy programs have provided her with social opportunities and enriched her children's literacy experiences.
The People in Your Neighbourhood with Waskasoo Park!
On June 8, we hosted a 'People in Your Neighbourhood' storytime with special guest Alice Koning from Waskasoo Park (Fort Normandeau and Kerry Wood Nature Centre). Alice shared information about beavers, read some stories, and brought props for families to touch and learn more about this amazing wild animal! There were over 30 participants for this fun and educational program.
Creating Library Lovers through Library Tours!
Throughout the month of June we hosted several tours of school children from various schools within the Red Deer Catholic and Public School Divisions. Teachers were asked to share a special online membership form link for tour groups and many of these children were able to get signed up with free library memberships! These tours involved stories, information about the library, a tour of the space, Summer Reading Program information, and puppet shows!
In addition, several classes of adults from Care for Newcomers did tours of the Downtown Branch in June. They were toured through the various departments and also given a demonstration of the eLibrary section of our website.
Adult Storytime: Regrettable Life Choices
Adult Storytime at Red Hart Brewing took place on Tuesday, June 11th with a full house (40+ adults) in attendance, and featured stories on the theme of “Regrettable Life Choices.” As always, it was a blast!
Stuffie Sleepover!
13 stuffies came for a sleepover at the Timberlands Branch which started with a special storytime with their owners and grown ups. They got into all sorts of fun and shenanigans (including hide and seek, book cart races, and photocopier selfies!) after the library was closed!
Staff Potluck!
Our staff HEART Squad held a great potluck in July, letting us enjoy the delicious creations of our coworkers and having some time to mingle and add some fun to a Friday!
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